Political parties including the Nepali Congress, the CPN (Maoist Centre), among others representing in the House of Representatives have flayed the 'behaviour meted out on August 19 and 20 by CPN UML lawmakers against Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota at his office.
A joint press release issued today on behalf of these parties states that their serious attention has been drawn to the 'statements of using force which is unbecoming of the parliamentary dignity' made by the UML lawmakers targeting the Speaker at his office and the 'hostile expression made publicly in the media against the Speaker by the leader of the main opposition party the same day.
Stating that the post of the Speaker is the chief of the Legislature as well as the guardian of the Federal Parliament in accordance with the Constitution of Nepal, the joint statement termed the intimidating expressions against the Speaker are against the present constitutional arrangement and the democratic system.
The joint statement reads: "It is the responsibility of all the Members of Parliament to defend the constitutional provisions. We condemn the threatening language used against the Speaker and urge the opposition party lawmakers and its leader to follow constitutional decorum."
Those issuing the joint statement are Nepali Congress whip Pushpa Bhusal, CPN (Maoist Centre) Chief Whip Dev Prasad Gurung, Janata Samajbadi Party's lawmaker Pradeep Yadav, Rastriya Janamorcha lawmaker Durga Poudel and MP Jeevan Ram Shrestha.
The CPN UML lawmakers staged a sit-in at the Speaker's office on August 19 and 20 in protest against what they called 'the Speaker's ignoring to take action against the 14 lawmakers against whom their party had recommended action.
The Speaker's secretariat has said that the opposition party lawmakers used improper language against the Speaker in course of staging the sit-in.
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